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A review by cornucopiaofbooks
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
3.0
Shadowed Summer, Mitchell's debut, was a book that kept me in suspense from start to finish. While there were a few things that I think could have improved, I really enjoyed the story.
One of the things that I most enjoyed about the book was the setting. Mitchell described summer in Louisiana in a way that made me feel as though I was there (that was pretty impressive, considering it was only 30 degrees the night I finished the book). Mitchell's description of life in a small town was excellent as well. I grew up in a small town, and I've experienced the extreme boredom that comes along with it. At least in Ondine, Iris had a few places she could spend time.
I think that some of the characters could have been developed a bit more. Particularly Collette, who I thought was a bit predictable. She became jealous of Iris, and I thought it was easy to predict the conflict that would arise because of that. This book was also a fairly short read. While some people may really enjoy this aspect, I thought that more length could have allowed Mitchell to offer a bit more insight into her characters.
Overall, I thought that the paranormal aspect of the book was handled extremely well. I wasn't able to figure out what had happened to Elijah, and parts of the story gave me the creeps. The plot was unique, and I appreciated Mitchell's ability to describe life in a small southern town. There were a couple issues that I had, particularly with Colette, but I thought it was a strong debut.
One of the things that I most enjoyed about the book was the setting. Mitchell described summer in Louisiana in a way that made me feel as though I was there (that was pretty impressive, considering it was only 30 degrees the night I finished the book). Mitchell's description of life in a small town was excellent as well. I grew up in a small town, and I've experienced the extreme boredom that comes along with it. At least in Ondine, Iris had a few places she could spend time.
I think that some of the characters could have been developed a bit more. Particularly Collette, who I thought was a bit predictable. She became jealous of Iris, and I thought it was easy to predict the conflict that would arise because of that. This book was also a fairly short read. While some people may really enjoy this aspect, I thought that more length could have allowed Mitchell to offer a bit more insight into her characters.
Overall, I thought that the paranormal aspect of the book was handled extremely well. I wasn't able to figure out what had happened to Elijah, and parts of the story gave me the creeps. The plot was unique, and I appreciated Mitchell's ability to describe life in a small southern town. There were a couple issues that I had, particularly with Colette, but I thought it was a strong debut.